Name:____________________________________________________________________________________________
Passport to Imperialism
Directions: You will complete the material contained within this passport to better understand the unit, Imperialism.
1. Student Learning Map
2. US Imperialism Map (to be completed – directions on map)
3. The Geography of Imperialism (use class set of readings related to Alfred T.
Mahan and Coaling Stations)
4. “Crimean Call for Vote on Spitting from Ukraine Prompts International Opposition
(current event)
5. Imperialism Introduction – Guided Notes (to be completed in class)
6. Various Views on Imperialism (activity)
7. “The White Man’s Burden” (reading on ethnocentrism w/ questions)
8. Japan and Midway Islands (note sheet)
9. Alaska (note sheet)
10. Hawaii (note sheet)
11. China (note sheet)
12. Imperialism in Today’s World
Worksheets in this passport are for you to complete based on the information you will research, analyze and discuss in
class or for homework. Use your time well and remain focused and attentive: you are responsible for this material and your
knowledge of this information will be tested at the end of the unit.
Your success depends upon it!
Name
Period
Unit 7: Imperialism
Honors – The Americans
Required Reading for the Unit
Chapter 10, pp.340-369
CP – History Alive
Unit 6 (Chapters 19-21), pp. 247-279
Unit Essential Question: Why is it important to distinguish between fact and opinion? (Standard
History Two 9-12a)
Lesson Essential Questions
Lesson Essential Questions
Lesson Essential Questions
What is imperialism and how did
Americans respond?
Prior to the 1890’s, how and why does the
United States attempt to expand its
influence?
How and why does the United States
attempt to expand its influence after 1890?
Vocabulary
Vocabulary
Vocabulary
Imperialism
Ethnocentrism
Annex/Annexation
Geographic Influences
Anti-Imperialism
Open Door Policy
Spheres of Influence
Insurrection
Great White Fleet
Yellow Journalism
DeLome Letter
USS Maine
Platt Amendment
Isthmus
Big Stick Policy
Additional Vocabulary:
Identify the places on the map below using this word bank. Use your textbook to help!
Midway Islands
China
Panama
Cuba
Puerto Rico
Philippines
Guam
Samoa
Hawaii
Haiti/Dominican Republic
Australia
U.S. IMPERIALISM
MAP
Canada
United States of
America
Midway Islands
Alaska
Japan
Passport to Imperialism
Remember to be detailed with your information
The Geography of Imperialism
Directions: Identify the places on the map located earlier. Use the
map and readings provided by your teacher about Alfred Mahan and
Coaling Stations to answer several questions below.
How are the locations you identified on the US Imperialism map different
then the land the US gained as a result of Manifest Destiny?
Who is Alfred T. Mahan and why is he so important?
What exactly is the purpose of coaling stations?
Why might navies be the desired military group during this time period?
How does the map and the locations identified as key to American
Imperialism relate to the other information you have reviewed at this
station?
Crimean call for vote on splitting from Ukraine prompts international opposition
Warm up questions
1. Where is Ukraine? How close is it to Russia?
2. What do you know about the crisis that is playing out between Russia and Ukraine?
3. Where and what is Crimea?
4. What is a civil war?
The breakup of Ukraine recently moved a step closer to reality. The parliament in Crimea, a peninsula that extends south
of Ukraine, scheduled a vote on whether it will stay part of Ukraine or return to Russia. That action drew a swift response,
as the U.S. and its European partners announced sanctions against Russia.
Ukraine’s most prolonged and deadly crisis since its post-Soviet independence began as a protest against the
government dropping plans to forge closer trade ties with the European Union and has since spurred a global standoff
between Russia and Western powers. The crisis stems from more than 20 years of weak governance, a lopsided
economy dominated by oligarchs, heavy reliance on Russia and sharp differences between Ukraine’s linguistically,
religiously and ethnically distinct eastern and western halves. After the ouster of President Viktor Yanukovych in February,
Russia moved to take control of the Crimean Peninsula, signaling Moscow’s intent to retain its sphere of influence and
raising serious questions about the ability of the state’s new leaders to provide stability and a path to meaningful reforms.
The Crimean Peninsula is home to minority ethnic Tatars, who are delighted about the new authorities, but the majority
ethnic Russians support efforts to strengthen ties with Russian and possibly leaving Ukraine altogether.
Crimea is an autonomous republic of Ukraine with its own parliament and laws that permit the use of the Russian
language in everyday life and empower local representatives to levy taxes. However, the parliament’s acts can be vetoed
by the central Ukrainian government in Kiev. Since the ouster of Yanukovych in February 2014, Crimea’s parliament has
asserted greater autonomy and voted for a March 16 referendum to decide whether Crimea should become part of Russia
or remain a part of Ukraine, but with enhanced local powers.
Follow-up questions
1. What kinds of steps can the U.S. and its European allies do to discourage Crimea from breaking off from Ukraine? If
you were in charge, what would you do?
2. If Crimea does vote to split from Ukraine, do you think the situation will deteriorate? What do you think will happen?
Source: Background Briefing: What you should know about the Ukraine crisis by Robert McMahon, editor at the Council on Foreign Relations
Imperialism Introduction - Guided Notes
Definition of Imperialism
The policy of establishing ___________________ and building _________________.
Imperialism Also Includes:
A stronger nation with a ___________________ to create an __________________ and
Who dominates __________________ __________________ through various factors.
Reasons for American Expansion of Imperialism (Pro-Imperialism)
(So we could) Sell to New _________________.
For _____________________________ of USA Investments Overseas.
To Relive Pioneer Excitement or __________________ __________________
To _____________________________ People or “_____________________”
Why Do Americans Feel Entitled to Civilize People?
Due to ____________________________
Belief in the _____________________________ of one’s own _____________________
________________________.
Arguments Against American Expansion of Imperialism (Anti-Imperialism)
Too __________________________!!!!!
(It is) Anti- _____________________________ (denies ________________________ and
_____________________)
Too Many __________________ At Home
Possible Documents to Support Introduction to Imperialism and the
Pro/Anti Thoughts





US Imperialism Map
Alfred Mahan – The Importance of Sea Power (reading w/ questions)
Coaling Stations and Colonies (reading w/ questions)
Various Views on Imperialsim
“The White Man’s Burden”: Kipling’s Hymn to US Imperialism
(reading w/ questions)
Various Views on Imperialism
Wm. Jennings Bryan, Presidential Candidate of the Democratic Party, 1896 and 1900, June 14, 1898.
"Shall we contemplate a scheme for the colonization of the Orient merely because our ships won a remarkable victory in
the harbor of Manila?
"Our guns destroyed a Spanish fleet, but can they destroy that self-evident truth, that governments derive their just
powers not from superior force, but from the consent of the governed?"
1) Circle one- Anti or Pro
2) Categorize argument from notes ________________________________________
3) Highlight an excerpt from the quote that supports your categorization.
Revs. W.C. Steele and J.P. Peters, in "Preachers Say Hold Philippines", New York Herald, Aug. 22, 1898.
“we were fighting for humanity and God. In the past the United States government has offered an asylum for the
oppressed of all nations....The refugees have come to us. Now we have stepped outside of our own borders to aid other
people in the march of freedom and the upholding of human rights."
1) Circle one- Anti or Pro
2) Categorize argument from notes ________________________________________
3) Highlight an excerpt from the quote that supports your categorization.
J.G. Carlisle, ex-Secretary of the Navy, "Our Future Policy", Harper's Magazine, Sept. 1898.
"Our political institutions were not designed for the government of dependent colonies....This was intended to be a free
republic, composed of self-governing States and intelligent, law-abiding, and liberty-loving people....The new policy [of
annexing the Philippines] will demand large standing armies and great navies with consequent burdensome taxation..."
1) Circle one- Anti or Pro
2) Categorize argument from notes ________________________________________
3) Highlight an excerpt from the quote that supports your categorization.
Charles Denby, U.S. Minister to China, "Shall We Keep the Philippines?" Forum, Sept. 1898.
"I recognize the existence of a national sentiment...against the acquisition of foreign territory; but...we have to compete
with the commercial nations of the world in far-distant markets. Commerce, not politics, is king....There is a boundless
future which will make the Pacific more important to us than the Atlantic....(the Philippines) gives us valuable trade both in
exports and imports....We are taking our proper rank among the nations of the world."
1) Circle one- Anti or Pro
2) Categorize argument from notes ________________________________________
3) Highlight an excerpt from the quote that supports your categorization.
Sen. G.F. Hoar (R-Mass.) in U.S. Senate, Jan 9, 1899.
I believe that we have been chosen to carry forward this great work of uplifting humanity on earth...The English-speaking
people...is charged with this great mission...We propose to proclaim liberty and justice and the protection of life and
human rights wherever the flag of the United States is planted.
1) Circle one- Anti or Pro
2) Categorize argument from notes ________________________________________
3) Highlight an excerpt from the quote that supports your categorization.
Interview with President William McKinley, Nov. 21, 1899.
"I didn’t want the Philippines, and when they came to us, as a gift from the gods, I did not know what to do with them....I
went down on my knees and prayed to Almighty God for light and guidance more than one night. And one night late it
came to me..: That we could not give them back to Spain -- that would be cowardly and dishonorable; that we could not
turn them over to France or Germany -- our commercial rivals...; that we could not leave them to themselves -- they were
unfit for self-government...; and that there was nothing left for us to do but to take them all, and to educate the Filipinos,
and uplift and civilize and Christianize them, and by God’s grace do the very best we could by them, as our fellow men for
whom Christ also died. And then I went to bed, and went to sleep, and slept soundly..."
1) Circle one- Anti or Pro
2) Categorize argument from notes ________________________________________
3) Highlight an excerpt from the quote that supports your categorization.
“The White Man’s Burden”: Kipling’s Hymn to U.S. Imperialism
In February 1899, British novelist and poet Rudyard Kipling wrote a poem entitled “The White Man’s Burden: The United States and
The Philippine Islands.” In this poem, Kipling urged the U.S. to take up the “burden” of empire, as had Britain and other European
nations. Published in the February, 1899 issue of McClure’s Magazine, the poem coincided with the beginning of the PhilippineAmerican War and U.S. Senate ratification of the treaty that placed Puerto Rico, Guam, Cuba, and the Philippines under American
control. Theodore Roosevelt, soon to become vice-president and then president, copied the poem and sent it to his friend, Senator
Henry Cabot Lodge, commenting that it was “rather poor poetry, but good sense from the expansion point of view.” Not everyone was
as favorably impressed as Roosevelt. The racialized notion of the “White Man’s burden” became a euphemism for imperialism, and
many anti-imperialists couched their opposition in reaction to the phrase.
Take up the White Man’s burden—
Send forth the best ye breed—
Go send your sons to exile
To serve your captives' need
To wait in heavy harness
On fluttered folk and wild—
Your new-caught, sullen peoples,
Half devil and half child
Take up the White Man’s burden
In patience to abide
To veil the threat of terror
And check the show of pride;
By open speech and simple
An hundred times made plain
To seek another’s profit
And work another’s gain
Take up the White Man’s burden—
And reap his old reward:
The blame of those ye better
The hate of those ye guard—
The cry of hosts ye humour
(Ah slowly) to the light:
"Why brought ye us from bondage,
“Our loved Egyptian night?”
Take up the White Man’s burdenHave done with childish daysThe lightly proffered laurel,
The easy, ungrudged praise.
Comes now, to search your manhood
Through all the thankless years,
Cold-edged with dear-bought wisdom,
The judgment of your peers!
Source: Rudyard Kipling, “The White Man’s Burden: The United States & The Philippine Islands, 1899.” Rudyard Kipling’s Verse:
Definitive Edition (Garden City, New York: Doubleday, 1929).
As you read the poem, answer the questions that follow:
1. According to Kipling, and in your own words, what was the “White Man’s
Burden”?
2. What reward did Kipling suggest the “White Man” gets for carrying his
burden?
3. How does the advertisement on the right reflect the ideas that Kipling
discusses in his poem?
The writing on the advertisement to the right reads:
The first step towards lightening The White Man’s Burden is through
teaching the virtues of cleanliness. Pears’ Soap is a potent factor in
lightening the dark corners of the earth as civilization advances, while
amongst the colored of all nations it holds the highest place – it is the
ideal toilet soap.
Remember to be detailed with your information
Passport to Imperialism
Japan – Expansion in the Pacific
Who (individuals, groups, etc.) are involved?
What happened?
When does this take place?
Where does it take place? (what part of the world)
Why does the US get involved? What are the reasons/motives?
How does it happen? (details of “What happened?”)
A Summary Statement that Wraps it All Up!
Midway Islands – First Annexation
Who (individuals, groups, etc.) are involved?
What happened?
When does this take place?
Where does it take place? (what part of the world)
Why does the US get involved? What are the reasons/motives?
How does it happen? (details of “What happened?”)
A Summary Statement that Wraps it All Up!
Passport to Imperialism
Remember to be detailed with your information
Alaska – America’s Icebox Colony
Who (individuals, groups, etc.) are involved?
What happened?
When does this take place?
Where does it take place? (what part of the world)
Why does the US get involved? What are the reasons/motives?
How does it happen? (details of “What happened?”)
A Summary Statement that Wraps it All Up!
Passport to Imperialism
Remember to be detailed with your information
Hawaii – America’s Tropical Colony
Who (individuals, groups, etc.) are involved?
What happened?
When does this take place?
Where does it take place? (what part of the world)
Why does the US get involved? What are the reasons/motives?
How does it happen? (details of “What happened?”)
A Summary Statement that Wraps it All Up!
Remember to be detailed with your information
Passport to Imperialism
China – Opening the Doors
Who (individuals, groups, etc.) are involved?
What happened?
When does this take place?
Where does it take place? (what part of the world)
Why does the US get involved? What are the reasons/motives?
How does it happen? (details of “What happened?”)
A Summary Statement that Wraps it All Up!
Remember to be detailed with your information
Passport to Imperialism
Imperialism in Today’s World
Who is considered a colony today? (list as many as possible)
Who are the major colonial powers today? (list as many as possible)
Opinion Question: Should the colonial powers of today continue to hold
colonies? In other words, is it morally acceptable for them to hold
power over another group of people?
A country can be independent, yet still be controlled or significantly
impacted by another country. Provide evidence to from your readings to
support this statement.
Explain the issues today related to imperialism.